28-30
June 2000, WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
The Executive Committee:
-
noted the changes to the General Rules of FAO concerning electronic voting (para.
9);
- welcomed the decision of the World Health Assembly concerning increased
involvement and support of WHO in the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
and its committees (paras. 11-12);
- asked that resources requirements
for high priority areas of the Commission’s work be identified (para. 15);
-
agreed that many of the recommendations of the FAO Conference on World Food
Trade beyond 2000: Science-based Decisions, Harmonization, Equivalence and Mutual
Recognition should be incorportaed into the Medium-Term Plan and that others
were already being acted upon (paras.22-26);
- noted, in regard to risk
communication, the need to explore strategies to collect information from all
regions of the world (para. 23);
- requested to be kept informed of developments
concerning the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the World Trade Organization,
and on OECD/G-8 recommendations of biotechnology and other aspects of food safety
(paras. 27-32);
- requested the Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
to discuss the implications of the OECD proposal to estbalish a single international
grade standards setting body (paras. 33-34);
- agreed that the next Medium-Term
Plan be drafted by a small group consisting of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons
(paras. 36-41);
- approved 24 items of new work by Codex subsidiary committees/task
forces and advanced 12 proposed draft standards to Step 6 (paras. 43-49 and Appendices
II and III);
- made the general observation that justification for new
work proposals should be properly documented (para. 44);
- welcomed the
proposal to reactivate the Committee on Meat Hygiene to review the existing codes
of practice and agreed that the mandate of the Committee should be extended to
include poultry (para. 46);
- confirmed that responsibility for a system-wide
approach to the consideration of “other legitimate factors” rested with
the Committee on General Principles and that no further action on this matter
should be taken by other Committees at the moment (para. 56);
- recommended
a draft Provisional Agenda for the 24th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
for consideration by the Directors-General of FAO and WHO (paras. 57-58);
-
made comments on a proposed “Action Plan” prepared by the Chairperson
and asked for the Action Plan to be revised and circulated to Governments and
Regional Coordinating Committees (paras. 62-71).
